ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mate — a partner
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mate — a friend
  5. scale — size or range
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mate — to breed
  11. present — there
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hand — help
  15. band — a ring
  16. scale — in music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. face — to point toward
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. present — the time now
  22. face — to confront
  23. present — a gift
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com